The assistant waited for about twenty minutes before finally seeing the two of them. Wen Lin seemed completely drunk, being carried by Ming Che. Upon seeing this, the assistant pretended to be blind, hoping his Young Master wouldn’t kill him tomorrow to silence him.

“Let’s go back.”

Ming Che placed Wen Lin in the car and got in himself. Thinking about what Song Leran had done, his expression turned cold. How should he deal with this person?

While Ming Che was pondering, the car stopped; they had arrived.

“Mr. Ming, do you need help?”

“Just open the door.”

Ming Che carried Wen Lin from the car, taking him back to the room he was staying in. Seeing that Wen Lin had finally fallen asleep, Ming Che didn’t want to disturb him further. He just found a set of his own pajamas to change him into.

Ming Che took a shower and lay down to sleep. The night had been exhausting, and he quickly fell asleep.

In the quiet room, someone turned over and snuggled closer, or perhaps mistook the person beside them for a pillow. Either way, they ended up cuddled together as they slept.

The sun rose in the east, marking the start of a new day. Wen Lin opened his eyes, feeling particularly heavy. Fragmented memories rolled in his mind, and he covered his face with his hand, taking a deep breath.

Wen Lin turned to look at the person beside him, who was still asleep, breathing evenly, showing no signs of waking soon. Wen Lin quietly got out of bed, opened the door, and returned to his own room.

He turned on the tap and washed his face, the cold water fully waking him up. The mirror reflected a pair of particularly cold eyes, dark and dangerous.

…

When Ming Che woke up, the spot beside him was empty. He ruffled his hair, gathered his thoughts, and got out of bed. Opening the door, he saw Wen Lin about to leave.

Leaning against the door frame, Wen Lin turned and saw him.

“Going out?”

Wen Lin walked over, carrying a faint scent of shower gel, indicating he had recently showered.

“Going out to take care of something.”

Wen Lin lifted Ming Che’s chin, planting a light kiss on his cheek.

“I’ll be back for lunch.”

Ming Che squinted, looking lazy, and waved his hand softly.

“Go on.”

Wen Lin grabbed his hand, suddenly serious.

“Wait for me to come back.”

…

“Leran? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You seem distracted.”

“No, I just didn’t sleep well last night.” Song Leran forced a smile, his mind occupied with something else.

He had failed this rare opportunity, but fortunately, he had already dealt with the relevant people, paid hush money where needed, and sent others away.

But thinking about the reason for his failure made him grind his teeth. He hadn’t expected Wen Lin to bring that little celebrity along, especially since he hadn’t been around recently.

He had developed a good relationship with this woman, but Wen Lin didn’t listen to her much. To win over Wen Lin, relying on her wasn’t enough, but to sabotage his relationship with Ming Che, she could be useful.

“Auntie, there’s something I’m not sure if I should say.”

Song Leran put on a troubled expression, and the woman reassured him.

“It’s okay, go ahead.”

“Recently, Ah Lin gege has been getting close to a little celebrity. With Ah Lin gege’s status, don’t you think that celebrity might have ulterior motives?”

“Did you see this yourself, or hear it from someone else?”

“I saw it myself. Ah Lin gege seems to particularly protect that celebrity, even…”

“Even what?”

A cold voice suddenly interrupted, and Wen Lin stood before them, looking down at Song Leran.

With Wen Lin back, the woman lost interest in listening to Song Leran and quickly had the kitchen prepare some snacks and tea.

Wen Lin tapped the table.

“Let’s talk in the study.”

“Ah Lin gege.”

Song Leran looked at Wen Lin innocently, receiving a mocking smile in return.

“If you want to talk here, I don’t mind. Last night’s incident was your doing, right? The waiter was planning to leave today but was caught by my people. He’s quite timid and confessed everything when asked.”

“What?” Song Leran’s eyes flickered with panic but quickly calmed down, feigning ignorance.

“I really don’t understand.”

“Then let’s talk about your dad’s company. It’s suffering severe losses. If it doesn’t find financial support this year, it’s close to declaring bankruptcy, right?”

Song Leran’s smile stiffened. He hadn’t expected Wen Lin to investigate even this.

His real purpose for coming here was indeed related to this.

“Before coming here, you were close to the second young master of the Shen family. But after his older brother officially inherited the family business, the second young master had no real power in the company.” Wen Lin glanced at the person opposite him before continuing.

“He couldn’t help you, so you quickly abandoned him and set your sights on me. A young master brought back halfway should be easy to deceive, right?”

Song Leran had indeed investigated Wen Lin. Upon learning he had been missing for over a decade and was only brought back at nineteen, he felt a moment of disdain.

Temperament, knowledge, and upbringing are cultivated from a young age. Someone like Wen Lin would only be out of place in their circle.

Of course, after meeting him in person, he no longer thought that way. Wen Lin was different from the wealthy young masters Song Leran had met. He was more mature and noble, capable and resourceful, making Song Leran feel it was worth spending time on him.

Wen Lin’s gaze seemed to see right through Song Leran. He tapped his fingers on the table, speaking casually.

“Will you leave on your own, or should I send you away?”

Song Leran’s plan had been well thought out, gradually approaching Wen Lin, warming him, making him fall for him. But after discovering someone else close to Wen Lin, his plan was disrupted.

Later, not wanting to miss such a prime target, he became impatient, leading to last night’s incident. That little celebrity hadn’t appeared for a while, so why did he suddenly show up again?

With the conversation at this point, Song Leran dropped the act. Since he and Wen Lin were impossible, he might as well disgust him a bit more.

“I can see you’re very attentive to that celebrity, but doesn’t he have ulterior motives for approaching you? He’s just after your money and power. If you hadn’t been brought back, do you think he’d still pay attention to you?”

If Wen Lin hadn’t been brought back, he would likely lead a routine life, graduating from college and working at a decent company, starting as a junior employee.

He might still see Ming Che on screen someday, but would Ming Che stop for him, acknowledge knowing him?

Unfortunately, there’s no “if.” Everything had happened, and he and Ming Che were destined to be entangled like this.

“Didn’t he just take advantage of your drugged state to climb into your bed?”

Song Leran finished, watching Wen Lin’s expression change slightly. He thought he had hit the mark; in that situation, it was impossible for nothing to have happened between them.

Wen Lin picked up the tea on the table, sipping it slowly, his expression calm, but his words were the opposite.

“Get out of here immediately, or tomorrow you’ll see news of your family’s bankruptcy.”

Song Leran’s face turned ugly. He hadn’t expected Wen Lin to be so ruthless, and he believed Wen Lin would definitely do such a thing.

…

[Host, what are you looking at?]

Ming Che rarely came to the second floor, where there was a large terrace. He sat there, looking down, and saw a familiar car pull up outside the courtyard. Someone got out of the car.

Ming Che watched the person, who seemed to sense his gaze and looked up unexpectedly, their eyes meeting in the air.

The wind ruffled Ming Che’s clothes as he stood there, his black hair looking exceptionally soft. Ming Che tilted his head and smiled.

The person below disappeared from view, and two minutes later, the terrace door opened.

Wen Lin walked over, his steps hurried, stopping only when he bumped into Ming Che’s toes.

Having gone out, Ming Che could sense an unknown agitation in his eyes. The next second, Ming Che was kissed.

It was reckless and forceful, but after tasting sweetness, it became gentle.

There was no space left between them. Ming Che was pushed back, and he placed his hand on Wen Lin’s nape, easily grasping the soft spot of the beast.

“What’s wrong?”

Ming Che pulled him onto his lap, gently brushing his thumb over his lips. Wen Lin lowered his eyes, seeming a bit tired, leaning against his shoulder.

“Last night.”

Wen Lin closed his eyes, as if being pulled back into that chaotic and sticky moment, his face heating up.

Ming Che realized and said, “I helped a bit with my hand.”

Wen Lin was reminded of Song Leran’s words, and contrary to what was said, Ming Che didn’t have those intentions towards him. A surge of unknown irritation rose in him, and he buried his head in Ming Che’s shoulder.

Was he embarrassed?

Ming Che stroked his hair, the soft strands slipping through his fingers, making him feel this person was inexplicably obedient now.

“Let’s go inside, it’s getting windy.”

Wen Lin finally lifted his head, his hair a bit messy from being pressed, his eyes looking particularly moist.

“You’re wearing so little.”

Wen Lin touched Ming Che’s waist, feeling the fabric was very thin.

It was time to eat, and the assistant had been waiting downstairs for a while.

“Ming ge, I have something to tell you. The Flowing Pearl’s broadcast data is excellent, so the platform plans to gather the main cast to shoot a spin-off program.”

Ming Che looked at the assistant, signaling him to continue.

“The main content is actually traveling abroad, but you’ll be staying in a house together. The filming will last three days and should be released on the platform after Flowing Pearl finishes airing.”

“Is it confirmed?” Ming Che asked.

“Not yet, it’s still in the planning stage. I just received word from them, asking about our interest.”

“Sure, there’s some time before the next drama. If the timing works, agree to it.”

After Ming Che spoke, he felt Wen Lin glance at him.

“Will you be busy afterward?” Wen Lin asked.

“Depends on the work schedule. I’ve been resting for a while.”

“Mm.”

Wen Lin glanced at Ming Che’s assistant, who promptly indicated he was done eating and got up to leave.

“What’s wrong?”

Ming Che could sense the person was a bit awkward now. If he asked, he wouldn’t say.

Wen Lin: “Nothing.”

See, just as expected.